Iron County register., 1887-02-10
THE PHONopIE.
An Instrument by Which Telephoning and
Telegraphing Can Be Done Over One
Niro

An Instrument by Which Telephoning and
Telegraphing Can BE Done Over One
Wire.
An interesting lecture on 1.-The Stimuli
taneous Transmission of Telegraphic
and Telephone Currents over the Same
Wire was delivered before the Elec-
trical Society by Frank Kitton. This
system, he said. was one of great i'm
portance, as it attained new results by
methods and devices essentially new.
The fundamental object of the system
was to remove the cause of induction,
rather than to counteract the induction
itself, and this is accomplished by
means of eondensers which play as I'M
portant a role in this system as in the
duplex or quadruplex systems. Ex-
periments made some time ago by Van
Rysselberghe, of Belgium, established
the fact that both Morse and telephone
signals could be transmitted at the same
time over single wire, by graduating
the telegraphic signals so as not to af-
feet the telephone and by bridging the
telegraph apparatus so as to afford
path for the telephone currents when
the wire is opened by the operation of
the Morse key. The ''graduators' con-
sist of extra electro-magnets placed in
the circuit for the purpose of gradually
increasing and decreasing the strength
of telegraph signals, which then merely
bend the telephone diaphragm without
causing it to emit any sound. The
continuity of the circuit for telephone
sounds is preserved by placing around
the Morse instruments condenser,
through which the '.'phone" currents
act by induction. The telephones them
selves are connected with the main line
by branch wires. condenser being in
serted between the main line and each
telephone. In this way the currents
sent by the telegraph key are rendered
imperative on the telephone receiver,
while the telephone currents are too
feeble to effect the Morse apparatus.
After giving an interesting account
of the experiments which led to these
discoveries by Van Rysselberghe, the
lecturer pointed out that George Black,
the present manager of the Great
Northwestern Telegraph Company, at
Hamilton, Ont, had experimental in
the same direction and with consider
able success several years prior to the
announcement of Van Rysselberghe's
discoveries. A patent was issued to
Mr.. Black and DR.. Roseberg, of Toronto,
for system of telephoning and tele-
graphing over the same wire in Feb
ruary, 1879, and the system was applied
on several district telegraph lines in
various cities, but the requirements of
the service did not then warrant its
general adoption. 1t has since been
operated, however, with perfect success
over the Great Northwestern telegraph
wires.
Edison's phonoplex system of stimuli
taneous transmission is an ingenious
application of the principle described,
and is in operation over many of the
Canadian lines, as well as between this
city and Toronto. 1t differs from the
| Rysselberghe system only in the method
of operating the telephone, which is
not used for the reception of sound
vibrations, but acts like an ordinary
telegraph ph-sounder in responding to
Morse signaling. The currents en-
currents of spark coil, the
characteristics of which are those
of high potentiality and great
rapiditv. Mr. Kitton entered
into detailed statement of the nature
of th%se currents and the part played
by the condensers in obviating induc-
ton and other disturbances, and then
spoke of the particular applicability of
this system to railroad telegraph lines.
The phonoplex, he said, doubles the
capacity of Il wire with any or all of
the immediate points, and is capable of
establishing a number of shorter in
dependent circuits on through line,
without in any way disturbing its usual
working as a ''way circuit from
terminal to terminal. In addition, it
is not so susceptible to weather changes,
and practically works as well in wet
weather as in dry. 1t is not at the
mercy of the careless operator who
leaves his key open, either on the Morse
or phone circuit, and only an actual
disconnection of the wire rendered it
useless. This fact alone would seem to
recommend it strongly on important
way and railroad circuits, where busi-
ness or trains are frequently delayed as
the result of some office leaving the
circuit open.
The lecturer concluded by stating
that the discovery of the various systems
described had opened up new and
extensive prospective field in multiple
transmission, aud that already Stephen
D. Field, of New York, had combined
quadruplex and phonoplex working in
such manner as to attain sextuple
working over a single wire.-Bufato
Courier.
Wanted to Be Remembered.
He was old and rich, and his niece,
who had been visiting him, was about